Phoenix Culinary Arts Schools: Cooking Careers

Find Culinary Programs

Phoenix is a bustling southwestern city with strong growth in tech and medical/healthcare sectors. Add more and more sophisticated businesses and you have increasing demands for great food and the well-trained chefs to prepare it. But with the increase in business and industry a region will also gain ground in hospitality, primarily hotels, resorts and convention centers, all of which must have crews of chefs and cooks able to cook for an elite few or for an army at a moment’s notice.

Explore the various cooking schools in the area. You’ll find a few of the leading programs in the country, as well as a couple of local programs that focus more on cooking for the serious enthusiast versus college-bound pro chef. Keep in mind the various jobs in Phoenix you could be working in when you graduate: restaurant chef or cook, resort or convention center chef or line cook, hospital and medical center cook, or food and beverage management.

Check out the leading culinary schools in your area

Local Community Schools

Arizona Culinary Institute

The Arizona Culinary Institute’s program is designed for efficiency. It is an 8-month diploma program that utilizes small groups and personalized instruction from experienced instructors. The school focuses on hands-on practice, which comprises nearly 80 percent of its class activities. It offers affordable eight-month diploma and nine-week certificate programs and boasts of a 90 percent job placement rate.

Arizona Culinary Institute
10585 North 114th St.
Suite 401
Scottsdale, AZ 85259
866-294-2433

Scottsdale Community College

The Culinary Arts Block Program at Scottsdale Community College forcuses on teach students the ins and outs of casual and upscale cuisine. Students work rotating shifts through all areas of food preparation in house at the lunch and dinner service at the on-campus restaurants. It offers both an associates degree and a certificate of completion in Culinary Arts.

Scottsdale Community College
9000 East Chaparral Road,
Scottsdale, AZ 85256-2626
480-423-6000

Central Arizona College

Central Arizona’s Culinary Arts program trains students in both basic and advanced culinary skills, preparing them for careers as cooks, chefs, and entry-level management. Featuring a practicum within a local commercial kitchen, the program introduces students to a real-world understanding of the culinary and hospitality industry that will help them throughout their careers.

Central Arizona College
8470 N. Overfield Road
Coolidge, AZ 85128
800-237-9814

Estrella Mountain Community College

Estrella Mountain Community College’s Culinary program comprises several certificates and associates degrees focusing on different aspects of the food service industry. Students practice at the on-campus restaurant Regions. The Culinary Institute at the college also provides assistance to students in the Culinary Program through educational networks, scholarships, internships, and a multitude of other professional opportunities.

Estrella Mountain Community College
000 North Dysart Road
Avondale, AZ 85392
623-935-8000

Non-accredited Cooking Schools in Metro Phoenix

Sweet Basil Gourmetware & Cooking School

Besides being one of the leading gourmet cooking stores and market cafes in the city, Sweet Basil offers recreational cooking classes for culinary enthusiasts of all ages. Their hands-on classes provide learners with a fun and comfortable learning environment and expert guidance from professional chefs.

Sweet Basil Gourmetware & Cooking School
10749 N. Scottsdale Rd., #101
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
480-596-5628

Classic Cooking

Classic Cooking Academy is among the most popular cooking schools in metropolitan Arizona. It offers both serious lessons through its practical and pastry lesson series and more casual single cooking classes. The academy offers cooking classes for private and professional groups.

Classic Cooking
10411 E. McDowell Mountain Ranch Road
Scottsdale, AZ 85255
480-502-0177
info@ccacademy.edu

Phoenix BBQ and Grilling School

The Phoenix BBQ and Grilling School has helped many food enthusiasts make significant improvements to their outdoor cooking experience since 1998. It offers weekend classes on the finer points of grilling, smoking, and outdoor deep fat frying from late October through mid-May.

Phoenix BBQ and Grilling School
100 W Hoover #3,
Mesa, AZ 85210
480-285-7661